Color Theory

Secondary Colors

Secondary ColorsThe secondary colors are orange, green and violet. A secondary color is made by mixing two primary colors. Each secondary color is made from the two primary colors on either side of it in the color wheel. P+P=S

Primary Colors

The primary colors are red, blue and yellow. Primary colors cannot be made from other colors. Artists create secondary and intermediate colors by mixing primary pigments.

Neutrals

White, black, grays have no hue nor intensity and are not colors. They are called neutrals. The term is sometimes used (loosely) to describe low-intensity, almost- neutral color also.

Analogous Color

a color harmony of three or four colors that are adjacent on the color wheel. The similarity of analogous colors tends to produce a calm, relaxed feeling in an artwork. Example: yellow, yellow-orange and orange

Monochromatic color

a color harmony that is a single color: a hue and its tints, shades and intensity variations. Example: pink, red, maroon.

Split complements

a color used with the two colors adjacent to its direct complement. Example: yellow, red-violet and blue-violet

Shade

a hue with black added

Tint

a hue with white added.

Intensity (also called "chroma" or "saturation")

a measure of the brightness or strength of a color. A color can be made less intense (its chroma/saturation is reduced) by mixing a small amount of its complement with it. The more of the complement one adds, the less intense the color becomes. If enough of the complement is added, the color is completely neutralized and the result is gray.

Triadic complements

any three colors that are equidistant on the color wheel. Example: yellow, red and blue (primary triad)

Complementary Color

complementary harmonies are based on the contrast of color opposites. When complementary colors are placed side by side in a picture, they make each other look brighter and that creates an exciting, vibrant feeling in the artwork.

Tertiary Colors

mixing a secondary and a primary color together makes Tertiary colors or intermediate colors. Some examples of tertiary colors are red-violet and yellow-green. When labeling a tertiary color you always name the primary color first. P+S=T

Value

the lightness or darkness of a color. Any color's value can be altered by adding white to make a tint or by adding black to make a shade of the color.

Hue

the name of a spectral color; a color at its maximum intensity. These are the twelve hues, or colors, in the basic color wheel.

Direct complements

two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Example: yellow and violet